ALPKIT MANTA £35
Does the combination of a low price and a high power outweigh any design drawbacks for this headtorch?
■ Power ra■ge 300 lumens for 11 hours, 150 lumens for 26 hours, 30 lumens for 90 hours ■ Beam dista■ce 140m ■ Battery 1x lithium-ion rechargeable ■ Weight 219g
As always with Alpkit, IT'S GOOD the price is stunning for what you get, as it’s both well built and well featured. The three main power settings of high, medium and low are managed by a single button with a very positive click, which is easy to find with the fingers too.
Power comes from a built-in rechargeable battery, with a USB port tucked away behind the battery pack at the back of the head. The battery can be removed easily and replaced as needed, so you could carry a spare if required (NB: The warranty would be voided if you do this, but Alpkit has told us it is looking into it).
The focus control is a nice touch, with a simple aluminium ring for adjusting the beam from floodlight to spot, which can even be operated with gloved hands. Compared to others around this price you get a far more solidly constructed headtorch with longer burn times, and IP64 rating means it is splash-resistant.
Some higher priced HOWEVER torches offer more, such as higher waterproofness ratings so they can be submerged for longer periods. This is also a heavier torch, so the battery pack is placed at the back of the head for more comfort. Although both the power and burn times are great for hillwalking and camping, you can get even more power and burn time if you pay a little more.
Annoyingly, but like many others, there’s no ability to lock the operation button to ensure the headtorch doesn’t turn on accidentally in your rucksack. The other main drawback is that you cannot fit readily available AA or AAA batteries, and as mentioned above there is a warranty issue with taking a spare rechargeable. But if you suspect you won’t have access to some means of recharging the battery you may have to take a spare, fullycharged lithium-ion rechargeable with you.
Surprisingly there is no low power indicator either.
Superb value VERDICT for money, with great power output for hillwalkers, but it is heavier and more bulky to carry and lacks some benefits of higher priced torches.